Mountain Lake Academy

Mountain Lake is deeply committed to the belief that the family is central to the effectiveness and overall success of the treatment process. The development of an encouraging, collaborative, and therapeutic relationship between Mountain Lake and families is essential for promoting healing within families and maximizing positive treatment outcomes and academic achievement for their sons. Because we believe the family is vital for a successful discharge, we place an emphasis on family counseling and support. Communication is key in encouraging ongoing positive family relations and supporting student progress. Although families may be contacted by staff across programs, the Treatment Coordinators are the families' liaison and main contact source. Treatment Coordinators maintain weekly contacts with the student's family and referral source to keep them informed about daily progress and any important events that are going on in their son's life. Open and honest communication is stressed. The Treatment Coordinator also helps facilitate families' participation in family counseling with a licensed therapist at Mountain Lake. Family counseling sessions are conducted during on-campus family visits, prior to or after a parent transport to or from the Mountain Lake campus, during an in-home visit, or via teleconferencing. In addition, families are encouraged to come on-campus to participate in Partnering with Parents, an Adlerian-based educational/informational support group facilitated by Mountain Lake counselors and therapists designed to empower parents with encouragement and strategies for managing the challenges they face as parents. Students are able to have a phone call with designated and approved family members every day. Families are also welcome to come to Mountain Lake and participate in on, or off, campus community visits (CV) during the weekends their son is not participating in a home visit. Home visits are an important part of the students' treatment. When the student has demonstrated his ability to be safe and meet program expectations, Therapeutic Family Visit (TFV) are scheduled on alternate weekends and school holidays. Therapeutic Home Visits are also task oriented to provide the family a model for open communication, establishing boundaries, setting and following rules, conflict resolution and realistic compromise. A return to home, or to the home of an alternative resource, is our ultimate goal. From day one the focus is on discharge and discharge planning. All the interventions that are in place at Mountain Lake are designed to help the student with problems they will face at home, in school, or in their community. This is reflected in the student's treatment plan, written in conjunction with the student and their home resource, which sets forth a well- developed plan for discharge, as well as developing and establishing sound aftercare plans that focus on all important areas of the student's life.